Ryanair has submitted a planning application for a €50m expansion of its engineering operations at Shannon Airport, incorporating a new four-bay MRO hangar that would become the airline's largest aircraft maintenance facility in Ireland and a dedicated Ryanair Engineering Academy supported by Enterprise Ireland, as reported by Aviation Business News.

The proposed development will expand Ryanair's existing three-bay maintenance hangar at Shannon, which already supports more than 200 mechanics and engineering jobs. Subject to planning approval, construction is expected to begin in early 2027, with the new facility scheduled to enter service in late 2028.

The Ryanair Engineering Academy will introduce 80 new apprenticeship positions and train more than 400 additional aircraft mechanics between 2027 and 2031, creating a structured pipeline of specialist aviation maintenance talent at Shannon over a five-year period.

Eddie Wilson, Ryanair's chief executive, said the investment reflects both commercial and strategic priorities for the airline. "This project is about jobs, skills and growth. Shannon already plays an important role in maintaining Ryanair's fleet, and this expansion will create hundreds of highly skilled engineering jobs while training the next generation of aircraft mechanics in Ireland," he said. "Together with our new Dublin hangar, this investment demonstrates Ryanair's long-term commitment to making Ireland a leading European centre for aviation maintenance and engineering excellence."

Enterprise Ireland chief executive Jenny Melia said the investment reinforces Ireland's position as a location for long-term aviation sector development. "The company's investment in skills and training in Shannon is particularly significant, supporting the development of specialist talent and helping to address critical skills needs across the aviation sector," she said.

Shannon Airport Group chief executive Ray O'Driscoll said the scale of the proposal reflects decades of accumulated aviation expertise in the region. "From the birthplace of aircraft leasing, Shannon has grown into a global hub for aviation services and engineering," he said. "Today, Shannon Airport and the adjacent Shannon Airport Business Park together support Ireland's largest aviation cluster, with almost 100 companies operating across the campus."

The Shannon expansion sits alongside Ryanair's separate new hangar investment at Dublin, signalling a broader commitment to building out Irish-based MRO and engineering training capacity across the airline's network.